Costs of Burglary

For burglaries with loss, the average mean gross value of property stolen was £1,273. This average though masks considerable variation. In 27% of burglaries with loss less than £100 worth of property was stolen, while in 32% the loss amounted to a £1,000 or more.

61% of burglaries involved damage to property. This was higher for attempts (73%) than when entry was gained (52%). Soiling and graffiti were rare, occurring in only 1% of all burglaries.

The gross cost of damage averaged £138 for all burglaries. Almost two-thirds involved no damage or damage costing less than £50, but in a tenth the cost of damage amounted to at least £500. Average costs were higher for burglaries with entry (£164) than attempts (£99).

These costs may well be underestimates; they exclude indirect costs such as loss of earnings due to stolen property

Other costs fall on:

• Insurers and policy holders

• Criminal Justice System

• Business

• Other householders taking extra security precautions

• Taxpayers (through lost revenue to the Exchequer)?

In 49% of burglaries where property was stolen or damaged the household was insured 2 , though victims did not always make a claim. In only 53% of burglaries in which the victim was insured was a claim actually made (26% of all burglaries). One implication of these results is that insurance figures are only a partial guide to trends in burglary, since they may reflect changes over time in insurance coverage and claiming behavior.

In total, the BCS estimates that £680 million worth of property was stolen in burglaries in 1999 with the cost of damage amounting to £180 million. 

The most up to date estimate of the average cost of domestic burglary has been calculated as £2300.details in table 4.2 'The economic and social costs of crime' Home Office Research Study 217, www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors217.pdf